Cincinnati Riverfront Transit Center
The Riverfront Transit Center is an intermodal transit center along 2nd Street in downtown Cincinnati south of Fort Washington Way.
History
First proposed in 1998 prior to Cinergy Field being demolished, the Riverfront Transit Center was designed to be a staging area for hundreds of buses coming to Reds and Bengals games, facilitate traffic to and from downtown Cincinnati.(3)(4) It was also proposed that the center be accommodating to light rail and commuter trains.(3)(4) The center would replace the Cinergy Field plaza where hundreds of buses lined up to shuttle fans to and from the stadiums,(5) and accommodate up to 500 buses and 20,000 people an hour.(13)(14)Hamilton County Commissioners and representatives from Cincinnati voiced support for the intermodal center,(4) given its location adjacent to the proposed National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, close to the football and baseball stadiums, adjacent to a public park and The Banks. The project was not designed to replace Government Square, a hub for Cincinnati's Metro and a drop-off point for Northern Kentucky's TANK.(13)(14) It would be located below Second Street, which prior to the proposal, was to have been backfilled with dirt.(14)
The projected cost in 1998 was $18 million, far less than a $40 million proposal for a free-standing structure at-grade with Second Street.(4) $6 million was set aside from local sources for the project. The Ohio Department of Transportation later allocated $26.5 million towards the project.(5)
The project plan called for an elevated Second Street with a shell of a transit center beneath it as part of phase one that would serve buses and commuter rail.(3) Phase two would include a light rail station.(4) The projected costs were $26.5 million and was scheduled to begin partial operation on Labor Day 2001 and be fully operational in 2003.(3) Second Street had opened earlier in August 2000, in conjunction with the completion of the Paul Brown Stadium.(5)(6)
In January 1999, the U.S. Transportation Department unveiled plans for a Chicago-to-Cincinnati high-speed passenger rail line via Amtrak.(7) Some riverfront planners stated that the line should terminate at Union Terminal, and claimed that it would cost up to $5 million to accommodate Amtrak trains at the transit center.
On February 12, Cincinnati and Hamilton County officials approved a design of the transit center that was only 85-feet wide.(10) The width initially eliminated the transit center from consideration as a transit hub for Amtrak's passenger rail line.
In July, Cincinnati officials learned that the transit center may be able to accommodate the larger Amtrak passenger trains from other cities, contradicting prior reports that stated the transit center was too small.(7)(8) State officials stated that the trains are small enough to fit and that utility regulators would likely issue a variance to reduce the required overhead clearances to fit in an Amtrak train.(8)
On August 12, the design of the transit center was unveiled.(6) It featured modern glass arches over elevators and wide staircases that would shuttle people from street-level to below-grade.
Ground was broken on November 5 for the Riverfront Transit Center.(5) It was at this time that the Ohio Department of Transportation announced that it was allocating an additional $4.1 million, in addition to the $26.5 million it had earlier promised, towards the $38 million project. It was the first time that Ohio's transportation funding panel approved a project using Ohio Department of Transportation money.(13)
On August 25, 2000, the Cincinnati Planning Commission recommended transfer of land for the proposed $45.4 million transit center to the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority.(2) SORTA would pay $2 million for the city-owned land.
On the week of June 24, 2001, Cincinnati City Manager John Shirey scrawled his initials in concrete during a ceremony that marked the beginning of construction for the transit center.(12)
On November 16, an 800-foot-long mosaic relief mural was unveiled, with a design themed around hammers, saws, boats, chairs and coffee mugs.(11) Created by artist Chad Scholten, the mural was installed on the north wall of the passenger terminal. Measuring anywhere from two-by-two feet to eight-by-thirty feet, the work contains porcelain, mosaic glass, quarry tile and granite.
The Riverfront Transit Center was opened to limited use on the weekend of September 1, 2002 for Riverfest,(1) although it was not formally dedicated until May 19, 2003.(1)(13)(14)
Trivia
Sources
1. Mecklenborg, Jake. "Cincinnati Riverfront Transit Center." Cincinnati Transit. 23 Sept. 2008 Article.
2. "Transit center plan wins OK." Cincinnati Post 26 Aug. 2000. 23 Sept. 2008: 13A.
3. "Transit center nears Phase I end." Cincinnati Post 16 June 2000. 23 Sept. 2008: 15A.
4. "The Second Street station." Cincinnati Post 28 Nov. 1998. 23 Sept. 2008: 18A.
5. Albert, Tanya. "$4.1M addition lessens city's loan." Cincinnati Enquirer 6 Nov. 1999. 23 Sept. 2008: 01C.
6. Albert, Tanya. "Transit center final designs to be unveiled." Cincinnati Enquirer 12 Aug. 1999. 23 Sept. 2008: 09B.
7. Osbourne, Kevin. "Transit hub clears hurdle in planning." Cincinnati Post 7 July 1999. 23 Sept. 2008: 10A.
8. "Train Center." Cincinnati Post 1 July 1999. 23 Sept. 2008: 19A.
9. Albert, Tanya. "Transit center final designs to be unveiled." Cincinnati Enquirer 12 Aug. 1999. 23 Sept. 2008: 09B.
10. Peale, Cliff. "Plan squeezes inter-city trains." 13 Feb. 1999. Cincinnati Post 23 Sept. 2008: 12A.
11. Harden, Crystal. "'Outstanding' transit mural unveiled." 17 Nov. 2001. Cincinnati Post 23 Sept. 2008: 17A.
12. Liebschutz, Bill. "First concrete poured." Cincinnati Post 30 June 2001. 23 Sept. 2008: 15A.
13. Pilcher, James. "New transfer station for people." Cincinnati Enquirer 19 May 2003. 23 Sept. 2008: 1B.
14. "Mungin, Scott A. "Transit Center opens." Cincinnati Post 20 May 2003. 23 Sept. 2008: A7.